TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi expressed her strong support for the recent Beijing Declaration, calling it a positive step towards reconciliation and unity for the Palestinian people.

Currently attending a series of ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings in Vientiane, Laos, Retno emphasized the critical importance of Palestinian unity, particularly amidst the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

“Indonesia hopes that the agreements reached can be effectively implemented,” stated Retno in a written statement delivered by the ministry’s spokesperson Roy Soemirat in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Retno, Indonesia consistently advocates for unity in its interactions with various Palestinian factions. “Unity is the key to achieving peace and securing a future for Palestine,” she declared.

Beijing Declaration and Palestinian Unity

A total of 14 Palestinian factions agreed to sign the Beijing Declaration, a document pledging to end internal divisions and strengthen national unity.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that the factions agreed to form an "interim national reconciliation" government, which focused on overseeing post-war governance in Gaza.

The Beijing Declaration was reached after talks held in Beijing on July 21-23, 2024, involving representatives from 14 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas.

The declaration affirms the commitment of Palestinian factions to "end division and strengthen unity".

“The key to the internal reconciliation process of the Palestinian factions is to maintain firm confidence, grasp the direction, and proceed step by step,” Wang said, according to a statement issued by China's Foreign Ministry.

“The strongest call is for the creation of a truly independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions,” Wang emphasized.

He further highlighted that "the core outcome is to make clear that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people."

“Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but it cannot be achieved without the international community's support,” he said.

The top Chinese diplomat concluded that on the road to promoting reconciliation, China shares the same direction and goals as the vast majority of Arab and Islamic countries.

Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk, who participated in the Beijing talks, echoed these sentiments. “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it,” he remarked.

ANTARA

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